Circa 1872
SOLD
Built in that transition period between the small leather or hide stagecoach trunks and the large
dome and flat tops that were just coming about, this antique trunk measures 30"L X 20"H X 18"W
and was pretty much considered a full size trunk in its day. This was before a lot of the fancy hotels
with porters, back when you had to carry your own luggage. It was made about 9 years before the
Earp brothers with Doc Holliday had their big gunfight at the O.K. Corral if that helps put a time line
on things. While there were a few metal covered trunks running around in the early 1870's, many of
the old timers were not so sure about the "new fangled" metal coverings with concerns over rust.
Travel in the 1870's meant there was a better than average chance of your trunk getting wet. To get
the old timer to let loose of his gold nugget, a pretty smart trunk maker decided to use zinc as the
metal covering. Why, zinc you ask? Well, zinc does not rust is my answer and the answer of some
old trunk makers many years ago. This antique trunk was pretty top notch in its day.
A few stagecoach rides and about 140 years later, this antique trunk is super solid being zinc
covered and made with thicker than normal timbers. Along the way it has lost a portion of the top of
its lock and one of the original handle holders was busted which required a repair that is not perfect
but in character with the rest of the trunk. Also, one of the original hinges was broke many moons
ago and someone other than myself made a nice repair using an old strap hinge. The original hinge
remains next to it. Opens and shuts perfectly with no play. On the front, there are some pretty neat
half straps. The bottom portion of the half straps are a metal gizmo which I had not seen before.
When your strap broke, you just replaced the leather. The buckle is part of the metal piece and it has
a patent pending stamp of 1871. The slat clamps are stamped with a patent date of 1870 and pretty
fancy for this time. What this all adds up to is a less than perfect but nice zinc covered stagecoach
trunk from the early 1870's. With anything less than a sledge hammer, your chances of harming this
trunk are slim. When a bunch of trunks are long gone, this one will be around. The zinc has been
cleaned up to a nice light blue color and just very lightly coated to produce a bit of sheen.
The inside is covered in a new black material and I put a few ribbon "X's" inside the lid. It is a
common symbol to see on trunks of this time frame (typically good ones) and is found stamped on
the strap hardware.
